2004-11-24

what about Cape Mentelle semillon / sauvignon blanc, under cork? A very clean fresh mouthfeel, and fruity rather than green. It seems rather weightier than,say, the Brookland Verse 1 sem-sauv, which inclines me to mark it down slightly (for no very good reason) but still, 14/20.

We gave much more attention to The Outsider shiraz 02002 (under cork). I suspect this is at least partly because of the sordid horsetrading that went on over the last few available bottles. There was very little made, which must be at least partly because the ancient vines produce "lentil sized grapes", but the flavours are consequently rich and very concentrated. Watch out for this one next year, or blackmail someone. TallAsAVan reckons it's not really a keeper, seeing as the ripe fruitiness is so good now. 15-16/20.